The Wharton Doctoral Difference

The breadth and depth of our faculty expertise offers you unmatched opportunities to find your path as a scholar. Access all the tools, resources, and support you need to launch a successful research career at a top institution.

Collaborative Community

Faculty members work collaboratively with you, guiding your investigation of ideas. You are a valued peer and colleague who is generating relevant new knowledge and becoming an intellectual leader.

Wharton Doctoral Programs Vice Dean Nancy Zhang explains how Wharton’s size, scope, and services create a strong research community and good student experience.

Wharton PhD students and faculty describe what’s unique about pursuing a doctorate at Wharton.

What You Can Do as a Wharton PhD

Work with Leading Faculty One on One

Wharton’s 240+ faculty give you ready access to the widest range of thinking in any field of business research. Among one of the most published business school faculty in the world, they are at once leading scholars and willing collaborators who will help mentor and guide you through your doctoral studies.

An extremely low student/faculty ratio means that you have a very close relationship with your advisor and options for finding the right research fit.

Dive into Multidisciplinary Research

You have unmatched multidisciplinary opportunities across Wharton’s nine programs of study, 10 academic departments, and 20 research centers and initiatives, all located on our Philadelphia campus. You also have ready access to the resources of Penn’s 11 other top-ranked graduate and professional schools, all situated on one central campus.

Many of our students take advantage of the rich interdisciplinary interaction, engaging in research which spans across academic areas.

Join a Supportive Community of Scholars

Wharton maintains an unyielding commitment to you as a doctoral student. Outstanding peers and faculty mentors make up a doctoral community that is stimulating, supportive, and collaborative. At Wharton, the faculty value you as collaborators, engaging you in their research and encouraging your involvement. And, our extensive research resources put data at your fingertips, allowing you to delve deeply into any subject.

Connect with a Global Network

Wharton is distinguished by not only its scope of business knowledge, but also by the ways in which that knowledge is put into practice. With a global alumni network of 98,000 and extensive connections to industry, Wharton opens doors of opportunity for you to translate your theories for real-world business situations. By rooting your academic research in ideas that have real applications, you expand your thinking, your network, and your impact as a scholar.

Become a Thought Leader

At Wharton you become part of a legacy of inspired leadership in business education. Wharton was the first collegiate business school in 1881, and our founding spirit still defines us today. Our faculty has always been at the forefront of business knowledge and education — from starting the first business research center in 1921 to creating the first doctoral program in business ethics in 2003. We are proud of our legacy, and as a graduate you will continue our tradition of academic thought leadership.